They were halfway through the story of the founding when, suddenly—
The speaker's tone changed, growing heavier as she began to talk about the 'Seven Treasures!'
Apparently, when the human settlers first arrived on the continent, seven powerful figures accompanied them. Each of these seven figures stood proudly at the absolute 'peak' of the sixth order of the 'Mage Pathway'. Those at the sixth realm were known as 'Arcanists!' They were extraordinarily powerful individuals! The gap between fifth-order and sixth-order was nearly insurmountable!
This gap was even more exaggerated for the Mage Pathway!
This was the realm where a mage began to understand a very different kind of power, one that far exceeded 'normal magic!'
It was no longer about spells, but about grasping the deeper principles that shaped the world—
- The Laws!
Using this power, the seven arcanists forged 'Seven Treasures', then left them on the Cross Continent to help them defend themselves if something ever happened!
This was both a safety measure and an early preparation for any future conflicts.
Petra's eyes sparkled.
She leaned in, listening closely.
The tour guide began listing them, one by one…
* * *
First was—
'The Star Crown', the Golden Scepter of Stars and Sovereignty!
The Star Crown was forged by a member of the Rollallrin Family and was once held within the Royal Tower's treasury! On the day the current emperor of the Hellion Empire, 'Rorarin Hellion', was born, the still-developing artifact spirit immediately woke up and broke out of the tower and flew directly to the newborn child! It was a miraculous event that bathed the whole empire in a wave of golden light.
This artifact possessed the 'Law of Attraction!'
It was currently in the hands of the current Emperor!
-
Next came the 'Edicts of Draconic Judgment & the Great Void Chain!'
It was described as an unimaginably long chain—threaded through a single floating ring—extending outwards in a hundred different loops. Each of the one hundred loops connected to a 'tree-sized' spear forged from dragon fangs called the 'Spears of Judgment'.
This was a weapon meant to kill giants!
This artifact possessed the 'Law of Space!'
It is currently in the hands of the Azurefell Families Patriarch!
Petra's ears twitched. She felt like she would have to remember this…
-
Then came the 'Emberwing Crimson', also known as the legendary Red Armor of the Spear King!
It was a massive suit of crimson armor that one could slide inside and wear like a second skin, transforming the user into a giant! It was created by one of the rare Dimebeck Family Arcanists from the Cellistan Continent.
This artifact possessed the 'Law of Momentum!'
It was currently lost…
Petra rolled her eyes. Why did it feel like she had seen something similar a little over a year ago?
-
The guide paused briefly before continuing—
Next was a 'Drop of Water' from an unknown era…
This treasure was refined from a mysterious drop of water discovered by the Gallon Family! It was described as a perfect weapon for those of the Gallon bloodline, capable of creating a very special domain that could trap even seventh-level cultivators when utilized at its maximum potential!
This artifact possessed the 'Law of Time', and it is currently believed to be in the hands of a Gallon Family member!
The word 'believed' was emphasized...
-
Then came 'Slitherit's Box!'
Forged from a collection of unknown and extremely high-level materials by Slitherit Sin Barak, this treasure was a one-time-use item!
It could forcibly tear the soul from any target and trap it within the box.
This artifact possessed no laws and was currently missing.
Several of the girls shivered at the implication!
-
Next was 'Storm Sin', the Storm King's Shield!
This was a powerful artifact created to control wind, rain, and lightning. In theory, it could raise a wind-attribute cultivator's level by an entire realm, allowing a sixth-order mage to temporarily wield a seventh-order strength! This artifact possessed the 'Laws of Wind, Rain, and Lightning', and it was once held by the Tower Lord of the Storm Tower!
With the self-exile of the eastern region, it was now considered lost...
-
Finally, the guide spoke about the 'Black Gate', also known as the Door to the Empty Room!
This was a mysterious artifact forged using unknown technology from the void and an exceptionally powerful 'Law of Space!'
It was created in an attempt to unlock something sealed within one of its materials, but the attempt failed. Instead, it produced a special door that connected to a small room with nothing inside.
In addition to linking to that strange space, it could also seal the space around it completely.
This was the gate to the city of Oriest! Unfortunately, it was never used, and remained in the depths of the land of death even now…
This artifact possessed no known laws and is currently lost in the western region!
* * *
The guide let her words linger for a moment.
After finishing her explanation, she clapped her hands and ushered the group of girls forward…
They moved on!
-
Up-down-up-down—roll, advance! Clap-clap! They continued!
The next room the group was taken to was a large display hall filled with the skeletons of a countless number of magical beasts!
To enter, they first had to pass through the rib cage of an enormous snake, its serpentine skeleton arching overhead to form a tunnel-like corridor. It was so vast that it felt as if the beast had devoured them whole! Several of the timid little girls shuffled forward, their feet nervously dragging across the carpet as they clustered in small groups.
Beyond the rib cage, the hall opened up.
They passed sealed glass cases containing ancient bones and recently discovered fossils, each labeled and preserved. Some displays belonged to creatures long extinct, while others were mere fragments of common beasts still known today, only far larger than anything that currently walked on the continent!
Further in, the displays became open and unsealed.
Fully reconstructed skeletons of towering magical beasts stood proudly and posed on minimalistic platforms, their massive figures looming over the children like silent shadows!
From the ceiling, thin wires hung down, suspending the skeletal forms of flying magic beasts in a sweeping sky diorama. Wide wings stretched out above the girls, frozen mid-flight, and filled the upper part of the room with a motionless depiction of an ancient sky.
The coolest thing, though, stood at the very center of the room!
It was an 'enormous' skeleton of a real dragon!
It occupied nearly a tenth of the hall, rising over twenty meters tall, its spine arching upwards as if ready to roar. While twenty meters wasn't particularly large for dragons, it was still very overwhelming up close, especially for young girls! Just the skull was bigger than a carriage, and its empty eyes seemed to almost stare down at the little wave of green grass!
Petra's eyes sparkled.
-
Up-down-up-down—roll, advance! Clap-clap! They continued!
As they continued to walk through the museum, the tour guide's voice shifted into something more… dramatic and loud, and she began telling popular stories…
She spoke of the 'Silver Serpent' that had terrorized the eastern region over two hundred years ago, her tone low and ominous. Then, the children huddled together as she transitioned into a spooky bedtime story about the 'Dream Spider', a monster that had once snuck into the Royal City and haunted its people's dreams for over a full year! That was only thirty years ago!
"And finally," she said, guiding them through the hall with a smile…
"We come to the High Elves!" The children leaned in attentively.
-
Up-down-up-down—roll, advance! Clap-clap! They continued!
After that, time passed, and soon they moved on to the next room. The little line of light-footed lolitas listened in as the lively guide led the line forward—
Petra followed near the back, listening in as they entered the next section of the museum.
The next room was an art gallery!
It was relatively small compared to the previous rooms, but the atmosphere inside this gallery was far more… 'regal'. Each painting was paired with a statue and infused with a subtle illusion, giving the set an unnervingly realistic appearance!
It was almost as if you were standing before the real thing.
There were seven portraits in total, arranged neatly along the wall, with 'six' matching statues positioned beneath each of them.
A red velvet rope separated the visitors from the displays.
Here, the guide began to speak about the 'Imperial family!'
Surprisingly, the Hellion Family was quite small despite its long history on the continent…
The first portrait was of a man named 'Rellicant Hellion', the founding emperor, the old emperor, and the father of the current emperor of the Hellion Empire!
Shortly after the migration, he experienced a disaster that nearly wiped out his bloodline completely! This was the northern disaster. After that, he traveled to the southern region and built what would later become the Hellion Empire with the 'help' of the Four Great Families.
During this unstable period, although it was not formally recorded in most official history books, it was widely known that the old emperor's half-brother arrived from overseas at some point to help govern the empire.
This man was named 'Rofill'.
His public presence was brief, lasting only a few decades before he vanished. Some claimed he died, while others whispered that he was kidnapped, but regardless, he never appeared again, and the truth of his fate was lost to time. What was known was that his disappearance was tied to two companions, 'Hexin' and 'Pluto', two figures who also played key roles in stabilizing the empire during its early years.
Notably, Rofill's portrait was the only one without a statue...
The guide explained that this was because his appearance had never been properly recorded, leaving historians with no reliable reference to recreate his face. She added that Rofill's greatest contribution was the creation and stabilization of the empire's current military system, specifically the 'Black Socket System', which endured for centuries and still shaped the present-day military.
Moving on—
The next portraits depicted the current generation of the royal family, often just referred to as the 'recent members'.
The guide explained that the current emperor, 'Rorarin Hellion', was born relatively late, and spent nearly two hundred years alone before meeting the current empress, 'Lillet Hellion'.
She gestured towards their portraits, then continued, explaining that the empress, like the old emperor's wife before her, was said to be cursed with 'misfortune', something that seemed to be prevalent on the female side of the Hellion Family…
She disappeared shortly after having children, only eight years after her initial appearance! Records described her as a scholarly general with a fairy-like appearance and a knack for finding trouble.
Many feared her, especially among the Four Great Families, because her maternal family was rumored to belong to a terrifying force from outside the continent! It was this very same force that had made the formation of the Hellion Empire possible in the first place! As for how this wrapped around, there was some unspoken agreement between 'that force' and the Hellion Family, a 'Deal' that involved marriage.
The guide also added that, like his father before him, Rorarin also had a brother, but this brother had left early, going overseas and never returning!
The final three portraits belonged to the 'Three Princesses' of the Hellion Empire, Rotell, Rorall, and Rolilly Hellion. Unlike the statues before them, these were more ornate, but at the same time, noticeably smaller, as if designed to emphasize position rather than their 'currently lacking' achievements.
All three shared the same blond hair and strikingly similar features!
Rotell's long hair and blue eyes carried a warrior's presence.
Rorall's neatly tied bun and brown eyes reflected her scholarly nature.
Rolilly's short hair and green eyes made her appear the most innocent of the three, giving her the unmistakable aura of a little sister.
The guide continued to describe their current achievements, her voice echoing through the gallery as Petra listened in silence to the middle-aged woman continuously praising Rotell's contributions to the first and second calamity.
This went on for some time…
-